Latest Blog Posts

Self-efficacy (one’s belief in their ability to succeed) is an important component when establishing a positive and productive choral environment.  In Episode 33 of ChoralEd, Dr. Greg LeFils describes methods for developing self-efficacy and pitch matching skills in the choral ensemble. An inability to match pitch can lead to negative self-perceptions of musical ability resulting […]

Your Advocacy & Collaboration Standing Committee has been quiet over here on their monthly blog post…why? We’ve been curating the most incredible A&C focus issue heading your way this fall! To get everyone excited and ready for the new content coming, we wanted to highlight some of the incredible articles from our first focus issue […]

This article was generated from an email conversation between Ian Henning and Mitch Al-Ubaidi regarding ideas presented in Episode 172. “Dispelling Middle School Myths” By Ian Henning and Mitch Al-Ubaidi Cross Posted from Choralosophy Community If you have questions, or ideas generated from any Choralosophy episode, and would like to collaborate in this way, pitch […]

The June/July 2024 issue of Choral Journal is online and features an article titled “Tips for Teaching Vocal Percussion” by Rob Dietz. Following is a portion from the article. _________________ Whenever I talk to directors who are interested in starting a contemporary a cappella group, there is almost always one concern that jumps out above all others: How […]

Standard music notation that is now used ubiquitously around the world does some things really well. But it also has limitation. Katerina Gimon is a composer who is actively working to dream up new ways to use notation to communicate sound ideas to musicians that expand our written music vocabulary. Katerina first exploded onto the […]

Dad, Peter Genaro and me at a dance workshop in the 1970s “The truth is, I’ve been lucky. But just like the waltz, life has its own rhythm of rise and fall.” Len Goodman Here in Chicago, the cicadas are out in force. In my area, I awaken to hear a low hum in the […]

Standard #1 from NAfME is the best one I think. “Singing alone AND in small groups a varied repertoire of music.” It is of course, crucial in vocal and general music. But it’s value is also present in instrumental focused courses as well. Here’s the thing. It is our job, as music educators to teach individuals. “Ensemble […]

The May 2024 issue of Choral Journal is online and features an article titled “From Censorship to Celebration: Rediscovering Lūcija Garūta’s ‘God, Thy Earth is Aflame!’”. Following is a portion from the article. _________________ In the spring of 1944 in Riga, Latvia, Nazi Germany’s four-year occupation of the country was ending. Latvia’s national nightmare, however, was far from […]

“Lost time is never found again.” Benjamin Franklin As the school year and concert season winds down, do you have regrets? Was your concert repertoire everything you hoped it would be? Did your students make progress singing in a new foreign language or was it a bit beyond them this year? Was the new approach […]

Lift Every Voice is a column in Choral Journal concerning issues of access, diversity, equity, inclusion, belonging, and restorative practice (ADEIBR) in choral music. We hope this column can provide a space to incubate ideas about inclusive practices and provide mentorship for choral practitioners. The column has a quarterly review cycle. Submit by February 1, […]